"Fast & Furious" Actress Gal Gadot Cast as Wonder Woman in "Man of Steel" Sequel

CBR

By Albert Ching

Published Dec 4, 2013

The film commonly referred to as "Batman vs. Superman" has added Wonder Woman, to be played by "Fast & Furious" actress Gal Gadot.

CBR News has learned that actress Gal Gadot has been cast in the role of DC Comics icon Wonder Woman and secret identity Diana Prince in the 2015 "Man of Steel" sequel.

While Wonder Woman has been portrayed in live-action before on television, this will mark the first feature film to depict the long-running character, who was first introduced in 1941. It was widely speculated that Wonder Woman would play a part in the "Man of Steel" sequel, but not previously officially confirmed -- last month, Variety posted that Gadot was one of three actresses in contention for the role.

The film, commonly referred to as "Batman vs. Superman," was already set to include Henry Cavill reprising his role as Superman, and Ben Affleck making his highly publicized on-screen debut as Batman.

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Director Zack Snyder said in a statement, "Wonder Woman is arguably one of the most powerful female characters of all time and a fan favorite in the DC Universe. Not only is Gal an amazing actress, but she also has that magical quality that makes her perfect for the role. We look forward to audiences discovering Gal in the first feature film incarnation of this beloved character."

Gadot's previous film roles include Gisele Harabo in the three most recent entries of the "Fast and the Furious" franchise -- 2009's "Fast & Furious," 2011's "Fast Five" and this year's "Fast & Furious 6." Gadot, 28, was born and raised in Israel, and served two years in the Israel Defense Forces (as is mandatory for Israeli citizens), along with representing the country in the 2004 Miss Universe pageant.

The still-officially untitled "Man of Steel" sequel is scheduled for release on July 17, 2015, with filming set to begin early next year. Along with Cavill, Amy Adams (Lois Lane), Diane Lane (Martha Kent), and Laurence Fishburne (Perry White) are all on board to return to their roles from this past summer's "Man of Steel," which grossed $662.8 million worldwide.

UPDATE 12/4/2013 1:00 PM PT: Gal Gadot took to Twitter to express enthusiasm over portraying Wonder Woman in the "Man of Steel" sequel: